New HIV case linked to “vampire facials” at New Mexico spa
A new HIV case has been connected to a "vampire facial" at a New Mexico spa, years after the business closed, state health officials said Wednesday. The patient's only self-reported HIV risk exposure was a vampire facial they received at VIP Spa in Albuquerque back in 2018, the New Mexico Department of Health reported. The spa client tested positive in 2023, but the spa closed in September of 2018 after state inspectors identified practices that could potentially spread blood-borne infections, such as HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C to clients. At the time of the initial investigation, two other clients had tested positive for HIV.
During a vampire facial, a patient's blood is drawn and then components of the blood...